KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — Claiming his son’s bloated stomach was because he was possessed, the foreign national suspected to be involved in the murder of a woman and her daughter discovered in a drain along the Alor Setar highway yesterday had approached the imam of Masjid Al-Hidayah in Bukit Pinang and sought his help to conduct "rukyah” (exorcism) on the child.

Mohd Fauzi Bakar, the imam of Masjid Al-Hidayah in Bukit Pinang had recounted how the foreign national had approached him before being detained by the police at the mosque for suspected involvement in the murder of his wife and child in Simpang Kuala last night, according to a report published by Utusan Malaysia today.

He, along with other worshippers, initially saw the man on the mosque stairs as they exited after Isyak prayers.

"As soon as he saw us coming out of the mosque, he approached me with his son. He then asked for help because he claimed his son was possessed and as a result, the child’s stomach was said to be bloated,” he said when met at the mosque today.

He said that when the man made the request, he held the child’s head and recited Surah Al-Fatihah and other Quranic verses.

"Not long after that, the police arrived and immediately arrested the man. At that moment, I was unaware of what had happened until others informed me that the foreign man was involved in a murder case,” he said.

Mohd Fauzi added that the man came dressed in a shirt and sarong when he met him.

He said he was unaware that the police had already found the bodies of the man’s wife and child, and that the case had gone viral on social media.

"Before he (the suspect) was arrested, he also asked to stay at the mosque. He said that if he could sleep in the mosque’s yard, it would be fine, but he requested that the lights be turned on,” he said.

He then left the mosque and was not aware of what else happened as he assumed everything was resolved with the arrival of the police.

Earlier today, a foreign man was remanded for seven days to assist in the investigation of the murder of a woman and her daughter yesterday.

Later in the afternoon today, police made another discovery when a passerby found the body of a two-year-old boy at Pantai Leman, Kuala Kedah.

Police believe the death of the boy is connected to the murder of a woman and her daughter discovered in a drain along the Alor Setar highway yesterday.

According to Kedah deputy police chief Deputy Commissioner Adzli Abu Shah, the suspect had three children.

"We believe the suspect disposed of the child into a drain on Jalan Pegawai, approximately 2 kilometers from the murder scene, where the body was carried out to sea.

"Another son, aged five, was rescued by the police when the suspect was apprehended last night,” Adzli said during a press conference.